Radiomuseum.org Can somebody talk me through how it works, please?

[Nickthedentist]

Hello everyone,

Some time ago, I paid my $25 and joined Ernst Erb's well-known and very comprehensive, Swiss-based, "Radiomuseum" site: http://www.radiomuseum.org//

Then life got busy (two more babies, work, etc.), and 3 years later, I realised I'd not even logged on yet. I tried last week, and was delighted to find that my login details still worked, and that I could access photos and circuit diagrams and so on.

But what next? ISTR that the conditions of being a member were that you had to upload useful stuff (pictures, manuals) to the site now and again.

Could anyone talk me through how to do this, please? I realise I could find all I need to know on the site itself, but a brief synopsis of the important points from someone who's a member of this excellent forum too would be much appreciated.

Many thanks,

Nick.

[HamishBoxer]

I think you have paid for life membership. You can get it free if as you say upload useful stuff.

Must admit I have still to join but would not mind doing so.

[David G4EBT]

I've been a member of rm.org for many years, and it's an extensive and excellent resource. That said, I don't visit very often and don't find the need to, but have had two or three stern reminders that it's a condition that members upload pictures and information, which I'd willingly do if I had anything that hasn't been covered scores of times before. I'm not sure at what stage the warnings kick in, or whether it can lead to one's membership being terminated or the facility to download data is blocked.

If I had anything to impart which I felt was of use, I'd willingly do so. I've been a member of this forum since 2003 and the Golborne Forum since its inception in 2011 and have started many threads on such topics as home brew projects and my restorations, as well as responding to requests for help, so it isn't a question of not being willing to contribute. I paid a contribution when I joined and would happily continue to make financial contributions.

I'm not being critical of rm.org - after all, if people only downloaded stuff and few ever uploaded any, it would have very limited scope, but that isn't the case.

I know that many on this forum who have extensive collections have uploaded many pictures to RMORG, and no doubt they'll talk Nick through the process.

[Herald1360]

As another paid for member, I haven't downloaded vast amounts of data, but I do try to upload bits and pieces now and then. Often just a better photograph of something already there though I have managed uniqueness a few times. ISTR one reminder a while back, but that's all. Still works fine.

I must admit that it's not the most user friendly of sites to drive, but I've managed to plough through the process (pretty much from scratch) each time I've uploaded.

[Radiocruncher]

Nick

I have been a member of the museum for a few years. Your membership gives you some sort of allowance for downloading schematics and images. When you use this allowance up you need to upload them some pictures, schematics, purchase prices etc. This then allows you to continue using the resource. I tend to upload pictures of restored radios and pictures of the chassis, board etc. I try to submit an image that's not already there if possible, different colours etc. You upload your images from the model page of the radio in question. It's a great resource and well worth joining.

Graham

[Reelman]

I've just paid the fee and joined since many Google searches showed RM to be the only source of a circuit diagram for a particular model. To build up a "credit" you can upload pictures diagrams etc even if the site already contains examples. To do this seems relatively straight forward, however if you wish to supply info for a set they haven't got covered then it appears you have to contact one of the admins with the details presumably so they can create a new page for that model. To obtain credit for supplying pictures etc of existing items on the site is good since I'd be hard pushed to find circuits of sets they haven't got to supply them! Looks like it does take a bit of getting used to to become familiar with the site but as a resource it does seem to be second to none, especially since the membership is so international.
Good luck with it Nick.
Peter

[trh01uk]

I've been a member for some time. I found uploads fairly straightforward - at least I don't recall any difficulty in actually doing the task - just follow the instructions from the site.

Actually finding material is a different matter of course. But they are very flexible on what you offer. If you are able to produce soft copies of material then obviously that's highly desirable. But they also take things like "sold for" ebay prices. And if you are not sure how to find those, then go to ebay do a search on the equipment you are interested in, and tick the "sold" box on the lhs menu. You then get auctions that have closed and a final price achieved.

And of course just uploading photos of your own equipment is always welcome. Even if other people have already covered the set. Your example may be different or in better condition than the ones already shown.

I've supplied info for a set they didn't have (a military set as I recall). Again the procedure was quite simple. I got a polite and friendly email back from one of the admin team to say that would like the material I offered. I think the only reason to do this is to keep equipment that is "off topic" off the site. They are pretty broad as to what constitutes "radio" (e.g. they include lots of test gear), but I suspect they might draw the line at say a mine detector.....

Richard

[Maarten]

Originally Posted by Reelman

I've just paid the fee and joined since many Google searches showed RM to be the only source of a circuit diagram for a particular model. To build up a "credit" you can upload pictures diagrams etc even if the site already contains examples. To do this seems relatively straight forward, however if you wish to supply info for a set they haven't got covered then it appears you have to contact one of the admins with the details presumably so they can create a new page for that model. To obtain credit for supplying pictures etc of existing items on the site is good since I'd be hard pushed to find circuits of sets they haven't got to supply them! Looks like it does take a bit of getting used to to become familiar with the site but as a resource it does seem to be second to none, especially since the membership is so international.

Actually, you can propose a new model or a new brand all by yourself using the Create New Manufacturer or Create New Model links in the left hand side menu. Only for new semiconductors and valves you need to contact an admin and send the data through mail.

Each change, model or brand proposal will then be evaluated and if necessary edited by 2 admins to insure a basic level of quality and consistency. It may take from a few minutes to several days depending on the queue, the particular expertise of the model or brand admins that are online at the time, the amount and detail of information entered, if there is need for feedback or additional information, etc.

If anyone has concrete questions about a particular detail, procedure, etc. feel free to ask and I'll see how well I can answer. I've been a member since 2013 and a model admin since 2014 so I don't know everything there is to know but I have a reasonable background knowledge on the workings and procedures.

P.S. Some information and a sample excel sheet on the "allowance system" can be found in the RMOrg forums using search word UACS or from the Introduction link. As a side note, it can be helpful to switch on other languages besides english for the forums, as more information will turn up - useful even if you don't understand all of it.

[stitch1]

Just a quick cautionary tale ...

I paid for lifetime membership and in my eagerness to help shared a diagram from the site, https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=78590 this was shortly followed by an email telling me I'd broken the rules and my membership was cancelled. I did admit to unwittingly breaking the rules there was no malicious intent but I was banned for life which I thought was a little harsh.

It's a good site which I regularly use for research, I now have a decent collection that I never got the chance to upload so their loss not mine

John

[Colin Ames]

I'm not sure if it is widely known, but since January it has been possible to download schematics from Radiomuseum even if one is not a member. There's a limit of three schematics per day, or 10 per month. You have to provide your name and email address, and the documents are emailed to you. Here is a link to a discussion of this on ARF:

http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/...292467&start=0

Colin

[Cobaltblue]

I must admit I feel its almost a duty to be a member of the Radiomuseum if you are serious about the collection and preservation of old radio equipment.

Sorry to hear about Johns expulsion.

I have found the moderators on the Radiomuseum site to be very helpful when loading new content and also try very hard to resolve issues with content where there is errors or omissions in a polite and timely manner.

I wish I had more time there are still so many holes to be plugged!

Many members of this forum and the other forums have massively contributed to the site to everyone's benefit.

I like to be a net contributor rather than a recipient.

I must admit the only task I find a bit tiresome is creating a new model and I often get it wrong pictures are quite easy when I actually remember to follow the instructions

However its worth persisting its really nice to create a new manufacturer as well.

So my advice to Nick is look at something similar already listed before attempting to create a new model and make sure you have all the information to hand before you start. If I followed that advice myself I wouldn't mess up so often

Cheers

Mike T

[David G4EBT]

Very pleased to hear of this positive development. As I said in my earlier post, in the years that I've been a member, I've found the site so comprehensive that I've been unable to add anything that's not already been covered many times over as I've nothing rare or exotic among the sets that I've restored. If ever I do have - which seems unlikely - I'll be only too happy to upload to the site. That said, from Ernest's post on the ARF, the volume of uploads by very committed members have been nothing short of outstanding.

Hopefully neither I nor anyone else will get any more reminders that I'm not fulfilling an obligation to upload.

[trh01uk]

Originally Posted by stitch1

this was shortly followed by an email telling me I'd broken the rules and my membership was cancelled. I did admit to unwittingly breaking the rules there was no malicious intent but I was banned for life which I thought was a little harsh.

Yes, it does sound excessively harsh. Particularly as when I went looking for the rules that you broke, I couldn't find them. Admittedly its a very big site. Even so, I would expect that if expulsion is the penalty, that such a rule would be spelt out in very large letters somewhere entirely obvious.

Sadly far too many organisations in this field fall down for exactly this sort of thing. Indeed, I know of none (in the UK at least) which actually has a meaningful constitution and sticks to it.


Richard

[Herald1360]

I seem to recall that RM is pretty hot on not tolerating publishing anything downloaded from their database. Since the Astrad Orion circuit shared on here is still clearly marked with its RM stamp it was quite obvious from whence it had come. Hence the ban.

"One strike and you're out"

[Hartley118]

I've been a member for some years and find it a remarkably comprehensive resource- particularly valuable for rare circuit diagrams.

I feel I should contribute more, but I've been deterred by what I can only think are idiosyncrasies. For example, we're invited to contribute pictures, 'but no single models please' - that requirement has deterred me from filling gaps with single pics of one or two of my own collection.

And why does it appear mandatory to describe even the most modest superhet as 'super in general'? Maybe I'm losing something in translation and others feel more comfortable with the site's language.

Martin

[Nickthedentist]

I just wanted to say a belated thank you to all those who responded, both in this thread and in PMs. There's some very useful food for thought there.

Nick.

[Cobaltblue]

Originally Posted by Hartley118

I feel I should contribute more, but I've been deterred by what I can only think are idiosyncrasies. For example, we're invited to contribute pictures, 'but no single models please' - that requirement has deterred me from filling gaps with single pics of one or two of my own collection.

I always took this mean no one off homebrews. (maybe mistakenly)

Yes there are some quirks but is by far the best available tool.

There are many sets with no pictures at all and whereas many pictures are fantastic one picture is better than nothing.

Try loading some single pictures no one is going to bite your head off

Just make sure you follow the instructions on the naming convention of the pictures the sites software does a fairly decent job of resizing but you can sometimes achieve better results yourself.

They will take up to couple of days to appear but you will be able to see what you have uploaded they will be marked as inactive until the site mods approve them.

Do not underestimate the amount of work the boys and girls at Radiomuseum put in they take it very seriously to try to ensure the best and most accurate content.

Cheers

Mike T%

[Hartley118]

I'll give it a go then. With so much comprehensive information on the site, uploading the odd single pictures to fill gaps is just the kind of contribution that I could make. However, I too had heard that the museum's sanctions are pretty severe for rule breakers, even if they don't include decapitation!

Whilst valuing my long-established membership of the Radiomuseum, I've so far not felt quite 'tuned in' to the culture. I'll work at it.

I guess we may have one or two of the 'boys and girls' at Radiomuseum on this forum?

Martin

['LIVEWIRE?']

I've been a member of RMorg. for a couple of years now, and have uploaded to their site photographs of 3 or 4 different sets, plus information on radio related topics. As yet I haven't received any instruction from them about minimum upload requirements, etc., and reading the posts on the Antique Radios forum mentioned by Colin Ames, it seems that the rules have been relaxed a little recently. Sometimes I think things get a little lost in translation, e.g., their use of the phrase 'super in general' I take to mean that the radio in question is a superhet. Haven't checked to see what equvalent expression is used in German for 'super in general' though.

[Maarten]

"Super-Heterodyne (Super in general) [SH]" applies to any superhet variation. If your superhet for example has an RF stage, it would be more appropriate to select "Superhet with RF-stage [SURF]". Same goes for double or triple conversion superhets and some more obscure working principles. If you aren't sure which principle applies best or if it's a plain superhet, choose Super in General.

While the server can resize pictures, I would recommend to edit them before uploading to achieve best possible quality (Irfanview is ideally suited for this if you use a Windows computer). Maximum resolution nowadays is 1400 (width) x 2100 (height) pixels (in landscape format pictures, the 1400 pixel width is the limiting parameter while in portrait format pictures the 2100 pixel height can be the limiting parameter) and maximum filesize 600KiB. I think if you set jpeg quality to 80% when saving using Irfanview the filesize will generally be within limits, haven't tested this recently.

Also I recommend to make sure text and labels (type label, chassis label, but also model names on the front of the set and more obscure things like printing on visible parts) are readable in the pictures. Especially when submitting a new model, this can be very helpful in speeding up the process (every entry will be seen by at least 2 model admins before it appears on the site).